Today, on Panayotis Horton’s birthday, we honor his life, his impact, and the legacy he left behind
Dr. LeRoy Horton shared a heartfelt tribute to his brother:
Panayotis Horton was a tender-hearted person since the beginning. Born in Germany and spending his earlier years in Greece, he immigrated to the US with his mother Georgia and brother LeRoy in the early 1990s. Ending up in the Tacoma, Washington area, he was in love with the Northwest and his local community. He graduated from Woodrow Wilson High School (now Silas) and obtained a degree in Biology from Pacific Lutheran University. In his true form of service, he served two years with AmeriCorps, assisting teachers and mentoring youth at Jason Lee Middle School (now Hilltop Heritage). On top of this, he was an activist against police brutality and an outspoken voice of the culture.
Sadly, at the age of 27, as he was embarking on a journey to law school, Panayotis had a status epilepticus seizure that resulted in hospitalization. During his stay in the hospital, he suffered an infection and subsequent sepsis, passing away on August 22, 2017.
In his honor, his family has taken the mantle of raising donations of school supplies every year and donating to the middle school he served, as well as raising scholarship funds for young URM students from Tacoma who are entering or attending college. His heart was always with the youth in our city. We hope that we can only honor his time on earth and the pieces of himself he gave the community by keeping his legacy alive in the journeys of the scholarship recipients. As he would say, 'Education is a human right!
Continuing Panayotis’s Legacy
The Panayotis Horton Memorial Scholarship has become a cornerstone of his enduring legacy, supporting underrepresented minority students from Tacoma as they pursue their educational goals. Past recipients include Ernest Balezi and Ethan Quinones, whose academic journeys have been profoundly impacted by this support.
This year, as we continue the selection process for the next scholarship recipient, we reflect on the incredible spirit of service and advocacy that Panayotis embodied.
On this special day, we celebrate Panayotis’s life and recommit ourselves to his vision of a community where every student has the opportunity to thrive.
Happy Birthday, Panayotis. Your light continues to guide and inspire us.
Learn more about The Panago Foundation here: The Panago Foundation
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